Dbq 5.1

DBQ 5.1

Many historians label the period of time after the War of 1812 as the “Era of Good Feelings.” While it did increase nationalism and the general happiness, it wasn't quite as tranquil as it was billed to be. In the end, slavery and the Panic of 1819 would divided the nation and bring an end to the “good feelings”.

After the war of 1812 nationalism began to heighten. Unlike before the war, America emerged from it as one nation. John Calhoun believed that this was key to the United States as we can see from Document B. And from Document C, we can see the new found pride in America, with celebrations on the 4th of July.

Nationalism also developed through manufacturing. Americans took pride in their factories during the war and congress enacted the Tariff of 1816 to help protect them. However, this did not please everyone, including John Randolph who believed that it was unfair to to favor certain civilians and hurt others, as we see in Document A. This would also cause another divide in America over a plan to help the economy by building canals and roads which would eventually get shot.

By 1819, however, the “Era of Good Feelings” dwindled to and end when an economic crisis struck, called the Panic of 1819. It brought unemployment, bankruptcies, and bank failures, causing the Bank of the United States forced to foreclose mortgages on countless farms. This brought along McCulloch v. Maryland which set the precedent for federal power as explained in Document D.

Slavery was also contributed to the end of the “Era of Good Feelings. The Missouri Compromise caused a political divide and along with the Panic of 1819, it caused damage to the strong sense of unity from the War of 1812. The decline in the general happiness would show in the presidental elections, with James Monroe winning it in 1820 with 231 electoral votes compared against the 1 for John Adams. However, a more divided nation appeared in the presidental election of 1824, as Andrew Jackson...